Thailand also being considered for Tesla factory – report
First it was Indonesia, then it was India. Now Thailand – where Australia’s top-selling utes are made – has thrown its hat in the ring, as a potential base for Tesla’s next manufacturing facility.
Months after authorities in Indonesia and India admitted to being in talks with Tesla to bring manufacturing to their countries, Thailand now says it is in the mix.
According to a report from news outlet Reuters, Thailand’s Prime Minister named Tesla as one of a handful of large US companies considering investing in the Asian nation.
“Tesla would be looking into an [electric vehicle] manufacturing facility, Microsoft and Google are looking at data centres,” Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced on the weekend.
In June 2023, senior government officials in Indonesia claimed they were in talks with Tesla to open a manufacturing facility.
The following month, reports claimed representatives from Tesla were meeting with India’s commerce minister to also discuss the possibility of starting production there.
Tesla’s forthcoming small electric car will reportedly be built at a new factory in Mexico – among other locations – which would likely help supply left-hand-drive markets such as North America.
A factory in Indonesia, India, or Thailand – all right-hand-drive countries – could potentially build the small electric model for markets that drive on the left-hand side of the road, such as Australia.
Australia’s two most popular vehicles – the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger – are both manufactured in Thailand.
While India supplies a small number of vehicles to the Australian market, Indonesia has been investing heavily to position itself as an attractive electric-vehicle manufacturing hub in recent years.
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